Automated network functions may allow implementing tasks of a network management system into a communication network. Automated functions may allow self-organization functionality of the network such as self-configuration, self-optimization, self-healing and/or automated software management. The plurality of automated functionalities implemented in a network may be called “self-X” functionalities. The self-X functionalities may allow reducing the OPEX (Operational Expenditure) for operating and maintaining a network (OAM, Operation Administration Maintenance), in particular for a telecommunication network or a cellular network. Network elements supporting self-X functionalities may perform tasks which usually are performed by management applications or human OAM operators.
Self-X functionalities however may also reduce the transparency of a network for a network operator. The operator may not get information about activities happening inside the network, since the network may be organized using the self-X functionalities or may be managed by self-X functionalities. Thus, the operator may be kept in the “dark” about what may actually happen inside the network or about what happened while a self-X functionality may have been employed or executed. The network operator may only receive indications that data in a network may have been changed. In an example the network operator may receive an indication that data, which may be mirrored in a database, such as a MIB (Management Information Base) of a Network Management Centre (NMC), may be created, changed or deleted. Generating or mirroring the data may only provide raw data without transmitting any content or impact of the executed functions. Thus, an operator or Network Management System (NMS), which should know the status of the network may be more or less only informed about the fact that something may have happened within the network but not what happened.
The document 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) TS 32.302, “3rd Generation Partnership Project, Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects, Telecommunication Management, Configuration Management (CM), Notification Integration Reference Point (IRP), Information Service (IS)”, Release 8, V8.0.0, 2008-12, may define an interface through which an IRPManager can subscribe to an IRPAgent for receiving notification.
The document 3GPP TS 32.662, “3rd Generation Partnership Project, Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects, Telecommunication Management, Configuration Management (CM), Kernel CM Information Service (IS)”, Release 8, V8.0.0, 2008-16 may define Integration Reference Point (IRP) through which an “IRPAgent”, for example an Element Manager (EM) or a Network Element (NE) can communicate configuration management related information to one or several “IRPManagers”, for example network managers.
The document 3GPP TS 32.663, “3rd Generation Partnership Project, Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects, Telecommunication Management, Configuration Management (CM), Kernel CM Integration Reference Point (IRP)”, Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), Solution Set (SS)”, Release 8, V8.0.0, 2008-12, may define the mapping of the Kernel CM IRP:IS to protocol specific details necessary for implementing this IRP in a CORBA/IDL (Interface Definition Language) environment.
The document 3GPP TS 32.665, “3rd Generation Partnership Project, Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects, Telecommunication Management, Configuration Management (CM), Kernel CM Integration Reference Point (IRP), eXtensible Markup Language (XML) definitions”, Release 8, V8.0.0, 2008-12 may specify the XML definitions for the Kernel CM Integration Reference Point (IRP) as it may apply to the interface Itf-N.
The document 3GPP TS 32.502, “3rd Generation Partnership Project, Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects, Telecommunication Management, Self-Configuration of Network Element Integration Reference Point (IRP), Information Service (IS)”, Release 8, V8.0.0, 2008-12 may define Information Service (IS) part of a Self-Configuration IRP (SCIRP).
In the document 3GPP TS 32.503, “3rd Generation Partnership Project, Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects, Telecommunication Management, Self-Configuration of Network Element Integration Reference Point (IRP), Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) Solution Set (SS)”, Release 8, V8.0.0, 2008-12 a CORBA solution set of software management IRP may be described for an IRP whose semantics may be specified in software management IRP information service.
The document 3GPP TS 32.532, “3rd Generation Partnership Project, Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects, Telecommunication Management, Software Management Integration Reference Point (IRP), Information Service (IS)”, Release 8, V8.0.0, 2008-12, may describe a software management interface IRP information service.
The document 3GPP TS 32.533, “3rd Generation Partnership Project, Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects, Telecommunication Management, Software Management Integration Reference Point (IRP), Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) Solution Set (SS)”, Release 8, V8.0.0, 2008-12, may describe a CORBA solution set of software management IRP for an IRP whose semantics may be specified in software management IRP information service.
There may be a need to provide a more efficient network management.